US tariffs on imported drugs will hit the German and European pharmaceutical industries hard and have a negative impact on us-european trade relations, according to several German chemical and pharmaceutical industry associations.
The US government has announced it will impose a 100 per cent tariff on all imported branded or patented medicines from October 1.
The German Chemical Industries Association said in a statement that it was “Deeply concerned” by the US move. The association’s chief executive, Wolfgang grosse-ntroup, said it was“Another blow” to the EU and marked a new low in US-EU trade relations.
The German Federation for Pharmaceutical Research and development and producers noted that the global pharmaceutical industry was highly dependent on a stable policy framework and open markets, and that the US tariffs would deal a heavy blow to the German and European pharmaceutical industries. Steuitel, the federation’s President, said the new tariffs would have a serious impact on international supply chains, driving up the cost of drug production and endangering the supply of drugs to patients in the US and Europe. “We are already seeing signs of a freeze in plans to invest in pharmaceuticals in Germany.”
The German Pharmaceutical Association said the US move was“Tough and problematic” and a“Self-imposed blockade at all costs”. In a statement, the association said it was a serious blow not only to international trade and European drug supply security, but also to the German pharmaceutical industry.
According to public records, the United States is one of the most important export markets for the German pharmaceutical industry. German pharmaceutical exports to the US 2024 more than $27bn, or about a quarter of the country’s total pharmaceutical exports.